Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

A STUDY OF THE MECHANISM OF RADIATION-INDUCED GELATION IN MONOMER-POLYMER MIXTURES. Quarterly Summary Report, May 1-July 31, 1962

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:4794392

The dose rate effect on polymer-monomer radiation crosslinking was studied over the 0.015 to 4.0 Mrad/hr range and gel content was found to be independent of the dose rate. This holds true for doses of 0.2 Mrads and above for Alathon 15 polyethylene equilibrium swollen at 25 deg C with allyl methacrylate prior to radiation. Tensile strengths of monomer crosslinked systems were also studied. Monomer-containing crosslinked systems, irradiated to very low doses, appear to be at least equal to straight radiation crosslinked polyethylene. Tensile strengths were obtained above the normal polymer T /sub m/. The dose-gel relationship of the polyethylene-allyl acrylate system was elucidated up to 12 Mirads. The mole per cent of allyl acrylate present after equilibrium swelling is approximately equal to the mole per cent allyl methacrylate. The dose-gel relationship for polypropylene-- allyl methacrylate was studied up to 63 Mrads. The gel content (with 5.5% monomer) increased rapidly at first, leveled off slowly, and remained essentially constant after about 9 Mrads. The gel content after 9 Mrads was 73% and after 63 Mrads was 75%. Monomer-crosslinked polypropylene were found to be superior to either untreated or straight irradiated polypropylene. Form stability was maintained after 18 hr at 235 deg C. Gel fractions were obtained after irradiating polyisobutylene containing various amounts of allyl methacrylate. The effect of radiation dose (up to 3.2 Mrads) on equilibrium swollen polymer specimens (35% allyl methacrylate) was also studied. (P.C.H.)

Research Organization:
Radiation Applications Inc., Long Island City, N.Y.
NSA Number:
NSA-16-027036
OSTI ID:
4794392
Report Number(s):
RAI-307
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English